Interview tips

Whenever you are invited to an interview it simply means that the hiring person believes that you may be a good match for that position you have applied for, and she/he wants to know for sure that you are that person they are looking for. The interview process is then used to determine whether you are qualified for that position. Below i have tried to tackle these questions by coming up with strategic ways on how to answer them.

Here are the 7 most commonly asked questions:

1. Tell Us About Yourself ?

Answer:

This is the most feared question in the interview process and unfortunately it is frequently asked therefore you need to prepare for it.When answering this question you should be able to summarize who you are in  three words, this will grab their attention immediately, as it demonstrates your ability to be concise, creative and compelling. Tell them about the values you live by and your philosophy because it proves that personal development is an essential part of your growth plan, it also shows your ability to motivate yourself and again it indicates that you are a thinker not just an employee.

2. Tell Us About Your Current or Most Recent Position?

Answer:

The person interviewing you has read your resume/CV and concluded that you were qualified enough to be called in for an interview. However, the person who ends up interviewing you may not have had time for a full review — or she/he may have reviewed it and forgotten the details. So this how you prepare for this question:

A. Focus on results.  focus on how you performed,how you conducted yourself , how you went above and beyond the job description/position.

B. Be concise. Tackle the most important points,don’t try to describe absolutely everything that you do. Focus on the highlights that this particular interviewer will care about.

C. Customize for the position.  Find a standard approach to this question and don’t try to memorize a script, you just want an outline of the bullet points that you want to cover.Once you have a standard approach in mind, be prepared to customize it for each new job opportunity. For some positions, your standard description may work perfectly. Analyze the job description and think about how you can show that your current position has prepared you to master the new role’s responsibilities.

3. What are your strengths?

Answer:

A. Be relevant. You likely have many strengths, but which will be most relevant for this interviewer?

B. Be accurate. Choose strengths that you actually possess. You want to be yourself in an interview, just the best and most professional version of yourself.

C. Be specific. Choose specific strengths. Instead of “people skills” too broad and boring, go with “relationship building” or “persuasive communication.

4. Where do you see yourself in five years?

Answer:

The interviewer wants to understand more about your career goals and how this position would fit into your grand plan.He/She wants to know interesting things about you as a candidate, whether you know how to plan ahead? Do you have a clear career plan and vision?  Are you a loyal person and reliable? They care about your career goals because they want to hire someone who is motivated, proactive, and likely to stick around and work hard if they get employed.

5. Why should we hire you?

Answer:

With this question, your interviewer is asking you to sell him on your status as the best person for the position. Make his job easier by convincing him that:

-You can do the work and deliver exceptional results on time.
-You will fit in well and be a great addition to the team
-You possess a combination of skills and experience that make you stand out from the crowd
-Hiring you will make him/her look smart and make his/her life easier.

6. Why do you want to work here?

Answer:

The interviewer is looking for similar things whether asking about company or position. The hiring manager wants to:
Learn about your career goals and how this position fits into your plan
Make sure that you are sincerely interested in the job and will be motivated to perform if hired
Find out what you know about the company, industry, position (and if you took the time to research)
Understand your priorities and preferences — which aspects of the company and/or job are appealing to you and why?

7. Do you have any questions for me?

Answer:

An interview is a two-way street. Your potential employer is asking you questions to learn about you and your skills. In return, you need to prepare questions to ask your potential employer about the position, your boss, and the company in order to be sure that this is the right job for you.
In addition, if you don’t prepare smart questions, you run the risk of the interviewer assuming you aren’t interested or haven’t prepared.

“NB”

As you finish an interview, you have one last chance to sell the interviewer on your skills and abilities so as the interview is drawing to a conclusion, you can also interject your closing statement. That closing statement must both reiterate your interest in the position and your desire to move forward with the company, while also expressing gratitude for the interviewer’s hospitality and the opportunity to discuss the job in person. And also get the information you need in order to follow up, don’t leave the interview without getting the names, titles and contact information of everyone you met and also what is the next step in the process, don’t doubt its totally appropriate for a candidate to ask. ©